New Additions
by tuna-booboo
Summary: Jack Stewart hits a young orphan with his car, and she is brought to Community General. New additions are made to the Sloan family in more than one area.
1. Margaret Edwards

**Disclaimer-** I do not own the characters of Jesse Travis, Mark Sloan, Amanda Bentley, Steve Sloan, Jack Stewart, Ellen Sharp, or any other character that may appear on the CBS television series, _Diagnosis Murder_. Nurse Teresa Chingas is a character created by Lee Goldberg for his _Diagnosis Murder_ books, which I highly recommend. Virginia Sloan/Margaret Edwards, Kim McStiler, the Grants, the DuPonts, and any other new characters were made up entirely by me. I imagined out this story over two years ago, but didn't have a chance to write it down until I moved from beautiful, sunny North Carolina to cold, dreary, fifteen-feet-of-snow-from-October-to-May Wisconsin. Since I live over twenty miles away from the nearest town, (it takes over an hour and a half to get to Wal-Mart), I don't get out much. So thanks to the Great North Woods, which gave me plenty of time to write my story.

**Summary-** Jack Stewart hits a young orphan with his car, and she is brought to Community General. New additions are made to the Sloan family in more than one area.

**New Additions**

**Chapter 1-** Margaret Edwards

"Margaret! Get in your room and go to bed!" scolded Ms. McStiler, the orphanage supervisor. The fifteen-year-old girl ignored her and continued staring at the night traffic below her. She often sat in the window seat to think, because at Malibu Home for Orphans, Margaret, Orphan #2476671, had no friends. Sometimes as she gazed out the window at the happy families on the sidewalks, she felt completely alone. She hadn't always felt this way. Her life began happily.

_Fifteen years Ago..._

Laura and Christopher Grant lived in Wilmington, North Carolina. When their baby arrived, they named her Virginia Elizabeth Grant, after her two grandmothers. Virginia's father was an artist, and he was often busy at his studio with a new painting. Laura worked part-time as a nurse. Her mother, Elizabeth Crandall, lived with them, and took care of the baby during the daytime.

Virginia had inherited her mother's brown hair and spicy green eyes, and her father's artistic ability. She was absolutely fascinated by the family's three cats, especially the newest, a kitten named Fred.

When Virginia was three, tragedy struck. Her mother was taking her for a quick dinner at McDonalds. Laura didn't see the car speeding towards her until it was too late. There was a wall to her right, so she swerved into a lane of oncoming traffic and her station wagon ran into a small car. The driver of that car was her husband, Christopher, who was on his way home from the studio. The young people were both killed, along with the drunk driver. The only survivor of the accident was a scared little girl.

The Grants' will stated that Virginia was to be placed in the care of her grandmother. Social services disagreed, because Elizabeth Crandall was wheelchair bound. She had been most of her life, and got around just fine, but she was still declared an unfit guardian, and custody of Virginia was awarded to the state.

Virginia did not understand what was happening, but she knew that she didn't want to leave her grandmother. Where was the nice man in the black suit taking her in his big black car? Her last memory of that day was looking out the window of the long vehicle and seeing her grandmother, in tears, holding her beloved cat, Fred.

After being in an orphanage for three months, Virginia was adopted. She thought that the people would take care of her, maybe even restore her to her parents, but they returned her to the orphanage a few days later. The couple gave no reason.

The poor girl was in and out of homes for the next few years, until she was eight. A couple from California, called the DuPonts, came to adopt a little girl. Anxious to be rid of Virginia, the caretakers urged the DuPonts to adopt her when they praised her artwork. They did, and took her to Los Angeles to meet her new brother, Charlie.

With the adoption, Virginia's name became Margaret June DuPont. She hated that name from the start. The DuPonts were rich. They lived in a large mansion, and had a lot of hired help. Margaret was forced to wear a variation of the same outfit every day: a blouse tucked into a plaid skirt, tights, black Mary Janes, and a stiff jacket. Her beautiful brown hair was plaited into two neat braids. Margaret had to use perfect grammar if she wanted to be acknowledged, and she took up piano, horseback riding, and dancing.

The worst thing about this new place was Charlie. Ever since he was a baby, Charlie had gotten whatever he wanted. Virginia once saw a cook tell him that he couldn't have a cookie. She never saw that man again, for the next day there was a new chef in the DuPont's kitchen. Charlie was famous for his temper tantrums. They were huge and explosive, bigger than his birthday fireworks show.

One of the few things Margaret had that belonged to her real parents was an old copy of her father's favorite book, "The Hobbit." One afternoon while Margaret was at a piano lesson, Charlie decided that he wanted this book. His parents promised him that he would get his own copy, but he started holding his breath. As he began to turn blue, Mrs. DuPont sent a maid to Margaret's room to retrieve the book.

When Margaret returned, Charlie dangled her book in front of her, and teased her mercilessly. She began to chase him down the hallway, but Charlie slipped on a rug, and tumbled down the stairs. The DuPonts were very upset, The DuPonts were very upset, and cried out, running over to their son, but Margaret ran down to her book, grabbed it, and went to her room, clutching it to her chest.

When they returned from the emergency room, Charlie had his entire left leg in a cast. The DuPonts, listening only to Charlie's side of the story, decided to punish Margaret, by taking her book until Charlie got his cast off. Margaret, being smarter than most of the people around her, had hid the book earlier in the afternoon. When Mr. DuPont demanded the book, she yelled that she would never give him her daddy's book, and that she cared nothing for Charlie or his leg. The next morning, Mr. DuPont put her book, shoes, and coat into a paper grocery bag, and took Margaret to the nearest orphanage.

There the pattern continued. Afraid of being hurt again, Margaret did whatever it took to get back to the orphanage. She only wanted to stay there until she was old enough to get a job and an apartment.

_Present Time_

"2476671, to bed. Now!" Margaret was startled out of her memories by Ms. McStiler. She followed the tiny, dark, hallway to "The Closet," as she called her bedroom. It was a tiny, windowless room, big enough only for a small cot. Margaret sometimes used a small flashlight to illuminate the walls, which were covered with pencil sketches, done by the girl. She kept her walls free of dirt by using the sleeve of her jacket as a rag.

This night, however, Margaret used her light to gather her belongings. She put her book into one of her jacket's large pockets, and slid her feet into her boots. One was slightly large, the other pinched, and both were falling apart, but she wore them anyways. She went out of her room and crept down the hallway to the big window. There she climbed out and down the fire escape. Standing in front of the building, she looked around.

"Left or right?" she whispered to herself. She went right, and followed several streets until she was too tired to walk anymore. Then she found a cardboard box full of newspaper and crawled in.


	2. The Accident

**Disclaimer-** See chapter 1. It's too long to repeat in every chapter, although it applies to the entire story.

**Summary-** Jack Stewart hits a young orphan with his car, and she is brought to Community General. New additions are made to the Sloan family in more than one area.

**New Additions**

**Chapter 2-** The Accident

Dr. Jack Stewart drove his car down the road. In the years he had spent in Colorado, he had forgotten how beautiful a Saturday morning could be in Los Angeles. The sun was peeking through the smog, and some summer birds flew across the sky.

Jack was thinking about his old friends, Mark Sloan and Amanda Bentley at Community General Hospital. It had been nearly a year since the Stanley Tidewell Homicide, and this was Jack's first visit since. He was almost to the hospital when a young girl walked out of a nearby alley. He smashed the brake to the floor, and went into a skid. But he still heard a faint thump on his bumper. Jack pulled into a parking spot and grabbed his keys out of ignition. He ran to the girl and checked her vitals. Luck was with her, for although she was unconscious, she was still breathing. He quickly checked for broken bones, then scooped her up and ran for the hospital. Across the street, someone had seen the accident, and Jack was met halfway by two E.M.T.'s with a stretcher.

"I'm Dr. Jack Stewart. I am licensed to practice in the U.S." he said, walking quickly next to the stretcher. They went through the large double doors marked "ER," and were met by a young blond doctor with blue eyes, and several nurses.

"What happened?" Dr. Travis asked quickly.

"She walked out in front of my car. No broken bones, vitals normal." Jack explained.

"Okay, Jack, please would you wait over there?" Dr. Travis said, pointing to a row of white plastic chairs. Jack quickly checked to make sure that he was not double parked, and then sat down next to a stack of outdated magazines. He absently picked one up, and paged through it, looking at the floor.

"Jack?" asked an old doctor with white hair and a gray moustache.

"Mark. Hi," Jack said, distractedly.

"Is something wrong? Is your wife in there?" Mark asked, sitting down.

"Huh? I'm not married." answered Jack.

"Then what's with the magazine?" Jack flipped to the cover.

"_Our New Baby_?" he read. "No Mark, I'm still single. I hit a girl with my car, and I want to make sure she's okay."

"You hit a little girl?"

"She just walked out of an alley into the street. I think I turned enough that she'll be okay. But I still feel awful." As the two doctors talked Dr. Amanda Bentley and Lt. Steve Sloan, Mark's son, walked by. Jack and Mark could hear their conversation.

"So you arrested Krugen?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah, I did. Talk about mountains of evidence-"

"Jack Stewart?" interrupted Amanda.

"Amanda, hello! You look great." Jack said hugging her. As he shook Steve's hand Dr. Travis came out of Trauma 3.

"How come every time you come back someone ends up in pain?" Jesse said, directing his question to Jack. "The girl is stable, but she's still asleep."

"Do you know who she is?" Jack asked.

"No. She has no I.D., except for a number, 2476671. That's embroidered on her jacket, but we can't figure it out."

"Check the local orphanages and homeless shelters. A lot of those places use a number system to keep track of their charges." Steve said.

"I'll get Nurse Chingas on it." Jesse said. As he spoke, the nurse walked over. "Speak of the Devil." Jesse said quietly before giving her instructions. Then she informed the doctors that the girl had awakened.

Mark and Jesse went in to check on her, making Jack, much to his aggravation, sit back down and finish his magazine.

The girl had long brown hair and green eyes. She looked small and afraid in her large hospital gown.

"Where am I?" she asked, eyeing the heart monitor.

"You're at Community General Hospital, I'm Dr. Jesse Travis, and this is Dr. Mark Sloan." Jesse's reply was greeted with another question.

"Why am I here?" This time Mark answered.

"You were hit by a car. You have a mild concussion."

"Is that bad?" asked the girl.

"No," said Mark. "Yours is like a big bump on the head." After Mark spoke there was silence.

"You don't have any identification." Jesse said finally.

"Would you please call me Virginia?" she asked.

"Is it your name?" Jesse asked.

"Technically yes, since it's the name my biological parents gave me. But at the orphanage my legal name is Margaret."

"I'll make a deal with you," Mark said. "If you tell me the name of your orphanage, I will call you Virginia." Margaret eyed him up.

"It's Malibu Home for Orphans. I'm Margaret Will- no Edwards, orphan #2476671." Jesse explained that he was bound by the law to call the people at the orphanage and tell them where she was. She only nodded. After he left, Mark looked at the girl. He could see the pain in her eyes.

"Virginia?" he asked, "Do you have any friends at the orphanage."

"There's no one I'd miss." She said. "That's part of the reason that I left yesterday."

"Isn't there anyone else?"

"My parents died when I was three. I've been in and out of adoptive homes ever since. There's been twenty-four now," Virginia said. "Do you remember your parents, Dr. Sloan?"

Mark explained that his father was murdered when he was ten. Then he told Virginia about his beloved wife, Katherine, and their children, Carol and Steve.

"Carol died last year. Now it's just me and Steve and his wife, Ellen."

"I'm sorry about your daughter, Dr. Sloan." Virginia said. The old doctor and the young girl talked quietly until Mark was paged to the E.R. But he came back later that evening. And three times the next day.

On the third day, Mark found Virginia playing with a therapy cat. He asked her if she liked cats.

"I love cats. I had one when I was little. His name was . . . Fred . . . I think." Then, as she always did when her past was brought up, Virginia changed the subject.

As she talked, she sketched in an empty notepad Jack Stewart had brought her, along with flowers, candy, and several apologies. Mark watched her make animals and buildings out of a few pencil strokes. Sometimes, she sketched Bilbo Baggins or another character from her tattered book, and once she drew Dr. Travis as he checked in on a patient across the hall.

The girl seemed to brighten up when she was in Mark's presence, and he seemed more cheerful since Virginia came to Community General Hospital. But like all good things, it soon had to come to an end.


	3. Saying Goodbye

**Disclaimer-** See chapter 1. It's too long to repeat in every chapter, although it applies to the entire story.

**Summary-** Jack Stewart hits a young orphan with his car, and she is brought to Community General. New additions are made to the Sloan family in more than one area.

**New Additions**

**Chapter 3-** Saying Goodbye

The next afternoon, as Jesse stood in the lobby, reading the chart of a new patient, an official looking woman walked in.

"Do you know where I can find Dr. Traxis? He left a message for me two days ago." she said.

"I'm Dr. Travis, Jesse Travis," he said.

"Kim McStiler, from Malibu Home for the Orphans," she said.

"I called about a fifteen-year-old girl. She was hit by a car three days ago. She's okay. We had no I.D., except for a number, 246671."

"Margaret Will- no, Edwards, oh, that girl has had so many last names that I can't keep her straight anymore." Ms. McStiler didn't seem very worried about her charge. "Well, I guess you'd better take me to her."

"Right this way," Jesse said. He navigated the halls and elevators to Virginia's room.

"These are very good, Virginia," Mark said, paging through her sketches.

"Thank-you," she said smiling. Dr. Sloan had been seeing more and more of that smile. They had spent most of the day in his office, Virginia wrapped in his warm red robe. Mark showed her how to use the computer, and they looked up some web sites about J.R.R. Tolkien. But her smile turned upside down when Jesse led Ms. McStiler into the room.

"Margaret! I was so worried when I returned from the convention and you were missing!" she said. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Virginia said, grimacing at the word Margaret.

"Well then, let's go. Dr. Traxis signed-"

"Dr. _Travis_," Margaret interrupted.

"Whatever," Ms. McStiler continued, "The doctor signed your release papers. Let's go. Get dressed. Chop, chop!" She left as quickly as she bustled into the hall.

The doctors ran to catch up to her while Margaret changed out of her hospital gown and into her outfit that a Goodwill store had rejected. She tore a picture out of her sketchbook, and quickly wrote a note on the back. After she hid it under the pillow, she took another look around the room. She picked a few of her flowers out of the arrangement and pressed them between two tissues, and put them in the back of her book with the cards her doctors had sent. Then she walked out to the lobby. As she waved out of the window of the big black car, Margaret smiled at the three doctors who were the only three people in the world who had ever cared about her.

_Later_

Mark Sloan was sitting in his office, staring at the blank computer screen. As he made up his mind to visit Virginia, a nurse came in and gave him a note he had found while cleaning room 623.

"_Dear Dr. Sloan,_

_I never had anybody who cared about me so much. All my life I've been ignored, and that is what I expected to get from the staff at the hospital. But I was wrong. You were different. You visited me everyday._

_There is so much I wanted to tell you. I love your office. The decorations must look like junk to a lot of people, but to me, your office is a treasure trove of heirlooms._

_You, Dr. Travis, and Dr. Stewart made the three days I spent at Community General Hospital very special. Somehow I don't even mind going back to Malibu orphanage, because I had a taste of your kindness. Thank you a thousand times._

_Your friend,_

_Virginia_

_P.S. Please give the flowers in my room to someone who can enjoy them. Thank You. Virginia_"

Mark turned the paper over and found a sketch of the beach, complete with a crab scrambling across the sand. A feeling began to grow in his heart, as Mark sighed and put the note in his briefcase. He turned out the light and closed the door to his office.

Margaret sat in her bedroom. She pushed herself as far into the corner as she could get, and clutched her books to her chest. Her back stung from the fresh scars of her punishment. But Margaret refused to cry. She only gazed quietly at a sketch in her notebook of a kind doctor whom she missed very much.


	4. The HardKnock Life, Complete with Miss H...

**Disclaimer-** See chapter 1. It's too long to repeat in every chapter, although it applies to the entire story.

**Summary-** Jack Stewart hits a young orphan with his car, and she is brought to Community General. New additions are made to the Sloan family in more than one area.

**New Additions**

**Chapter 4-** The Hard-Knock Life, Complete with Miss Hannigan

The morning after Virginia left the hospital, Mark walked up the sidewalk to Malibu Home for Orphans. He was not pleased with what he saw. Instead of a cheerful building with children playing happily on the lawn, he found a dirty white building with a gravel yard. The kids were playing happily, but not with toys. They played games they invented with pebbles and stones.

Mark turned his eyes, looking only at the sidewalk before his feet. Inside, he stepped up to a small desk.

"Dr. Mark Sloan to see Margaret Edwards," he said. The secretary put down her bottle of nail polish to look at a list.

"Margaret is room 3-B. Three meaning third floor," she said, smiling at Mark as though she thought him a fool.

"Thank-you," he said. As he walked up the stairs, he looked around him. The lights were very dim, but Mark could still see the dirt. A young boy walked past coughing. His face was dirty, his clothes tattered, and his feet bare. All the other children he saw were just as dirty. Mark stood by the door to room 3-B and contemplated the idea that had been growing in his mind all night. Finally, he left the door untouched and went back to the front desk.

"Kim McStiler," he said. Mark was led to a large office. He opened the door. Ms. McStiler was sitting behind a desk with her head resting on the back of her executive style chair.

"Close the door, you're letting the cold out," she said briskly.

Twenty minutes later, Mark Sloan walked down the hall to 3-B. There was no answer to his knock, so he opened the door a crack.

A sliver of light fell on Virginia. Her back was turned, and Mark saw the worst sight yet. Long bloody streaks were running down her back. Blood stained her dress and the mattress that she lay on.

"Virginia?" he asked. When she saw who it was, she flung her arms around his neck.

"Dr. Sloan. I'm so happy you came," she said.

"What happened to your back?" Mark asked.

"It was my punishment for running away. Oh, but I don't care. I'm so excited that you are here."

"I said I would visit," he reminded her.

"But you're so busy, Dr. Sloan."

"I'm not too busy for you," Mark said. He stopped. How would he put this? He decided on a blunt approach. "Virginia, I would like your permission to adopt you." The girl's eyes widened. She looked at Mark, tears of joy stinging her eyes.

"I would love to be your daughter," she whispered. Virginia hugged the doctor for a second time. Mark smiled. He had a daughter again. He gathered Virginia's few belongings, items he was already familiar with. Mark saw Virginia's grimace as he placed his jacket over her back. They walked out and climbed into the car together.

At the hospital, Jesse was surprised that the young girl was back. Mark ignored his looks, and Amanda's, as he took Virginia into an examination room. Jesse treated the lacerations on the girl's back. Mark filled them in on the conditions of the orphanage.

"Why don't you file a formal complaint with the health department?" Amanda asked. "From what you've told me, that orphanage is violating a dozen state ordinances."

"At least," Mark said. He did end up calling the health department, and they are going to send a social worker over to inspect."

"You know, that Ms. McStiler is probably going to be very angry that you ratted on them. Aren't you worried that Virginia will be beat even more when you take her back?" Jesse asked Mark out in the hallway.

"I'm not taking her back."

"So you're kidnapping her?" Jesse inquired, puzzled.

"No. I've adopted her," Mark said. Jesse was shocked, but he congratulated Mark on the big news. After Mark and Virginia left, he and Amanda shuddered over the thought of Steve's reaction. The problem wasn't figuring out what he would say, because they knew exactly what he would say. They just didn't want him to say it in front of the abused orphan that Mark was taking home, with less thought than Jesse put into it when he brought home his stray cat.


	5. Steve

**Disclaimer-** See chapter 1. It's too long to repeat in every chapter, although it applies to the entire story.

**Summary-** Jack Stewart hits a young orphan with his car, and she is brought to Community General. New additions are made to the Sloan family in more than one area.

**New Additions**

**Chapter 5-** Steve

When Mark's car pulled into 3231 Beach Lane, Virginia was asleep. Mark carried her into the house and put her in the guest bedroom. He went out to the kitchen, but there was not much to eat. He decided to run to a convenience store and grab a few things. He came back with a tooth brush, a comb, a t-shirt, junk food, and a few other things. Mark set the bag of groceries on the counter and checked on Virginia. She was still asleep. He went back out to the kitchen, and he found Steve. He was carrying in brown paper bags from the supermarket, and putting them on the counter, pushing Mark's to the back. Ellen, Steve's wife, was lining up canned vegetables in one of the cupboards.

"Hi, Mark," she said, smiling. Ellen was seven months pregnant with twins.

"Need a hand?" Mark asked, looking through the bags, trying to find his. Steve nodded.

"Ellen, where's the lemonade mix?" Steve asked.

"Yes, Dear," she said absentmindedly.

"Never mind, I'll find it myself," he said, reaching into one of the bags. When he pulled out a toothbrush, he peered into the bag. "Although I believe that Ellen could be craving all this junk food, I don't think that we bought any of it."

"That's mine," Mark said with a grin. "You can never have enough Ding Dongs around."

"Dad, you just bought a toothbrush last week," he said pointedly.

"Well with all this extra sugar, my bristles wore down fast." Mark had his back turned, and he winced at his own stupid comment.

"Dad, you're hiding something from me."

"Alright, I give. Remember the little girl I told you about?"

"The one that Jack hit with his car?" Steve asked.

"Yes. I adopted her."

"Your bristles aren't all that are wearing down. Dad, what possessed you to adopt a fifteen-year-old girl?" Mark quietly tried to explain his driven passion, but Steve did not understand. He tried to make his father understand why adoption was a bad idea, but he got over-passionate when Ellen started arguing in Mark's defense, and all three of them were whispering loudly.

"Is something wrong?" Virginia said, startling them. Mark turned and smiled.

"No, everything's just fine," he said.

"Is that Steve?" she asked.

"Yes. And this is his wife Ellen." Steve did look at the girl, but turned and headed down the stairs with the rest of the groceries. Ellen sighed and shook Virginia's hand.

"Do you need anything?" Mark asked.

"A shower would be nice," Virginia said.

"The bathroom is down the hall, second door on the left. It's always open."

"Really? At the orphanage, we only had showers once a week. And they were cold."

"Well, you can use as much hot water as you want. Here, I bought you some things. A toothbrush, a comb, drawing pencils, and some snacks. There is a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. I hope they fit. There are clean towels in the bathroom closet."

"Holler if you need anything," Ellen said as Virginia walked off.

"So what do you think?" Mark said to his daughter-in-law.

"She is adorable. I honestly think that she is exactly what you need, Mark. A companion will be good for you."

That night Amanda, Jack, and Jesse came over for dinner. They wanted to help, so Mark sent Jack and Jesse to set the table, and Amanda to making a salad. Jack had brought a little gift for Virginia.

"You didn't have to do that, Jack, she's forgiven you already," Mark said.

"I know, but I still feel rotten about hitting her with my car," he said, placing the small package on the table. Jesse showed him where the plates were and they went outside to the table on the deck.

Virginia came out of her room a few minutes later, and she looked very different, wearing clean clothes instead of her orphanage cast-offs. Ellen had brushed out her hair, and left it hanging down her back, the first Mark had seen of Virginia without her standard braid.

"She already looks much better," Jesse said when he saw her. "The beach is doing you wonders."

"I feel much better," Virginia said with a smile.

"Did the clothes fit alright?" Mark asked.

"They're perfect, Dr. Sloan, thank you. . ." Virginia trailed off as Steve came back up the stairs. He looked outside and saw all of his friends doting over the girl. Ellen was in the kitchen, and she snagged Steve as soon as she saw him.

"Steve, what's the matter with you? She was here for five minutes, and you made her feel horrible," she said to him in a chastising voice. "If you can't be nice, at least be civil. Hey, do we have any of your hot death sauce for the chicken?"

With a scowl on his face, Steve handed her a bottle of the spicy barbeque sauce as they referred to it.

"Wipe that look off of your face!" Ellen said with a laugh.

"Practicing already?" Jesse said as he came in to find more spoons.

"Yep," Ellen said. "I only have two months left to get it right."

"Yay!" Jesse cheered, taking his spoons outside. "I can't wait to deliver those cute little twins."

"See this is exactly what I mean. If Dad wanted children back in his life he only had to wait seven weeks," Steve said when Jesse had disappeared through the doorway.

"Steve, drop it. Your Dad adopted her because he had a special bond with her from the day that Jack Stewart hit her with his car. He loves that little girl to pieces, and she deserves him after the life she's had. So just get off their cases!" -Steve glanced out the door, and sighed.

"I guess I can give her a chance," he mumbled.

"Good," Ellen said. "Now take this chicken out and put it on the grill."


	6. Changes are Made

**A/N: **Sorry that it's been so long! I had it all written; I just didn't know how to tie what I already uploaded with the end. But I just forced myself to finish it. Please review, and I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer-** See chapter 1. It's too long to repeat in every chapter, although it applies to the entire story.

**Summary-** Jack Stewart hits a young orphan with his car, and she is brought to Community General. New additions are made to the Sloan family in more than one area.

**New Additions**

**Chapter 6-** Changes are Made

Steve tried to change his attitude towards Virginia. She actually was not bad at all. What surprised him the most was how amazingly easy she made it look when she sketched. She captured the waves and surfers on the ocean with just a few strokes of her pencil, and Mark hung the pictures on the refrigerator like his beloved wife had done when Steve and Carol were little.

Although Mark had raised a daughter before, he still found that he needed help from a woman. Ellen and Amanda were always eager volunteers. They helped Virginia decorate her room, and took her shopping for clothes one afternoon, about a week after Mark had brought her home. After shopping, they grabbed lunch at the mall's food court. Virginia decided to change into a new outfit for Mark.

She grabbed one of the shopping bags and headed to the restroom. She put on a green tank top, a khaki skirt, and brown clogs. Her belt and headband matched the shoes. When Virginia came out of the stall, she was surprised to see a pretty young girl in the mirror. She looked around and realized that she was gazing at her own reflection. Her hair was wavy from being braided all morning, and her eyes looked even greener than usual. She smiled at herself.

Amanda and Ellen were waiting in the food court with ice cream cones, talking about the babies to come. They had watched a timid, shy girl walk away from them, but the girl who returned was smiling and confident.

At the hospital, they pulled Amanda's CAR into a parking spot next Mark's car, and stashed the shopping bags in the back seat. Amanda watched Virginia smile at the bumper of Jack's car as she walked by.

Mark, Jesse, and Jack were sitting in the doctor's lounge with cups of coffee. Amanda noticed Jack's lab coat.

"Hey, Jack. Are you helping out?"

"For a salary," he retorted.

"You're coming back?" she asked, astonished.

"Five years is just too long to go without solving a homicide," Jack said with a smile, directing this comment at Mark.

"Uh, huh," he said, pulling out a chair for Ellen. "Where's Virginia?"

"Utilizing the soda machine," Ellen replied. Then Virginia came into the room with her Dr. Pepper. Jack stood up.

"Virginia, I want to apologize to you again," he said. Mark, Amanda, Ellen, and Jesse all groaned.

"And I would like to thank you," Virginia began.

"For what?"

"For hitting me with your car, Dr. Stewart. You changed my life. I found a friend and a father, both things that I never imagined I'd have." She smiled and turned to Mark, tears glistening in her eyes. "Hi, Daddy."

Virginia and Mark were both crying while they hugged. Tog give them some privacy, Ellen and Jesse went down to the E.R. Jack stood up to go into the hall, and motioned for Amanda to follow him. He kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"I trained an intern to take over my practice in Colorado. I missed my old life here at Community General. And I missed you." He said.

"Jack, it's not just me," Amanda said after a few minutes. "I have to think about my boys. I can't just do whatever I want to."

"Well, let's take it slowly. How 'bout dinner?"

"You can join us tonight. We have a reservation with Chef Boyardee," Amanda answered with a smile.

"It's a date," Jack said.


	7. Merry Christmas

**A/N: **This really should have been published in December, but I decided that I have let the story sit too long. I want it done!

**Disclaimer-** See chapter 1. It's too long to repeat in every chapter, although it applies to the entire story.

**Summary-** Jack Stewart hits a young orphan with his car, and she is brought to Community General. New additions are made to the Sloan family in more than one area.

**New Additions**

**Chapter 7-** Merry Christmas

Two months later everyone was getting together at BBQ Bob's to celebrate Christmas. Steve had slowly begun to warm up to Virginia, and although he hid it, he really liked the girl. Now he was looking for a way to break the tension between them. And when he was picking up groceries for the party, he found the perfect thing.

A week before the celebration, Ellen had given birth to the twins, Ariel and Michael Sloan. Now she sat with Amanda, holding the babies. Ariel was very fussy, and she liked her father better than anyone else. Michael was happy with anyone, so Amanda was cradling him.

Jack and Jesse were decorating the Christmas tree, with more hindrance than help from Amanda's sons, C.J. and Dion. Jack wove a strand of beads around the branches, while C.J. played jump rope with the end. Jesse was putting on tinsel, while Dion threw pieces on tables, chairs, and people. Twice Jack beaded Jesse to the tree. When Jesse started a tinsel war, he found that Dion really came in handy.

"Children!" Mark warned, looking down at Jack and Jesse. Virginia was holding a stepladder steady while Mark climbed up to tie red bows to the evergreen boughs that they had hung. The last thing he did was string up mistletoe above the door.

Virginia heard the familiar sound of Steve's car door slamming. She slipped into her coat and ran outside to help him carry in the groceries. When they passed through the doorway, they were caught under the mistletoe. Knowing how Steve felt about the girl, Mark grimaced inside. Virginia leaned up and kissed Steve's cheek.

"I had forgotten," he began, "What it was like to have a sister. I am so sorry about how I've treated you. Ever since the twins were born, I've understood why Dad adopted you. I want to try to make amends, but I didn't know how, until I found this little guy." Steve pointed to a box that he had set on the counter. Virginia hugged her brother and then lifted the lid off of the box. Inside was a small blue blanket. Nestled deeply in the bed was a tiny kitten.

Virginia smiled, and threw her arms around Steve's neck, giving his cheek another kiss. Then she stroked the kitten's long orange hair. He was an undernourished stray that Steve had found behind a dumpster outside his precinct. The kitten was a scared little orphan. _Just like me_, Virginia thought.

"What are you going to call him?" Mark asked.

"Freddie," she breathed, keeping her eyes on the kitten.

"Christmas carol time!" Mark said cheerfully. Steve turned on a radio. "Dominic the Christmas Donkey" began playing. Steve immediately switched it off.

"I heard that song twice while I was trying to find a grocery store that was open, and I am not going to listen to it again!"

"Hee-haw, hee-haw!" C.J. and Dion yelled as they ran across the restaurant. Amanda sat them at tables on opposite sides of the room for "a thinking moment."

Steve turned the radio to a different station, and found "Joy to the World." Mark began to sing along and everyone joined him. After a couple songs, Virginia went over to the window, where she had placed the box with her new kitten. As she stroked his fur she thought of something that she had to do. She grabbed her backpack and went out the back door to a dumpster in the alley. She took her clothes from the orphanage and threw them inside.

"Goodbye, Margaret Edwards. I'm Virginia Sloan now." When she turned around she was surprised to see Jesse standing behind her.

"Virginia, I've been doing some checking into your family because the name Elisabeth Crandall sounded familiar to me. She was my father's sister. Laura Grant was my cousin."

"So you are my first-cousin?" Virginia asked.

"Yep," Jesse said with a smile.

"Well, then, Merry Christmas, Cousin Jesse." They went inside to exchange gifts. Virginia handed Mark a shirt box. He opened it, a found a painting of himself, Steve, Ellen, Virginia, and the babies. At the bottom all the colors faded into two silver words: "The Sloans."

"This is just beautiful," he said, "Thank you Virginia."

"You're very welcome," she said. Then Steve caught her eye. They spoke at the same moment.

"Merry Christmas!"

**Another A/N: **The End! Also, no offense is meant to anyone who likes 'Dominic the Christmas Donkey.' I heard it on the radio last year, and I will never forget it. It was a very _interesting_ song, to say the least.


End file.
